Our Kentucky Brethren

A good brother from Kentucky passed this message along this morning.

At last month's Grand Lodge of Kentucky's Annual Communication, a delegation from the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Kentucky were well received (a standing ovation from reports I received) and were gladly seated. The PHGLofKY presented a resolution formally recognizing the GLofKY and asked for recognition in return.

As is customary in these matters as I'm sure you well know, a vote was then held by the GLofKY on whether or not to hold it the request for recognition over until the next Annual Communication, and the vote came back in favor of doing so. From reports that I have received, there has for some time been some background chatter regarding this, so their appearance wasn't a surprise to very many in attendance. We have a wonderful new Grand Master, who I suspect follow in the footsteps in the last few we've had and do what he can to assist to push this to a successful resolution at next year's GL Communication.

It is my hope that the long archaic rules that has not permitted Masonic communication with our Prince Hall Brethren will be sent to the passages of time to be lost forever, and we can finally say with one voice that we truly are a Brotherhood of men, under the Fatherhood of God.

Huzzahs to both grand lodges for taking this step, and to Most Worshipful Grand Masters L. Todd Eastham and Hugh R. Harlan Jr., and especially to Past Grand Master Herman M. Forrester, for leading their brethren forward. This fraternity makes great changes with each passing day, as we all strive to live by the precepts and teachings we share around Masonry's altars.

After I received this note, I looked up the history of Prince Hall Freemasonry in Kentucky, and discovered that it originally met across the Ohio River from Louisville in New Albany, Indiana.

A petition was forwarded to the Grand Master of Ohio for a Warrant. It was granted, and on June 12, 1850, in the city of New Albany, Indiana, Mt. Moriah Lodge No.1, F & A. M., was duly organized. The Lodge room was leased for three years from the Caucasian Masons, they having built a new hall and moved into it. Their furniture was also turned over to M. Moriah. For three years, the Lodge remained at New Albany. The members labored under many disadvantages, such as crossing the Ohio River in skiffs at mid-night, sometimes amid high waters and heavy drifts, at the risk of their lives, and then walking five miles up to the city.

At the expiration of the three-year lease, the Lodge moved to Louisville, Kentucky. A house was rented from Washington Spradling, Sr., on Walnut Street, between Ninth and Tenth Streets. The roll of Mt. Moriah increased to over 100 members. Finally, the group divided and organized St. Thomas and Meriwether Lodges.

Noble Lodge No. 684, St. Louis 12/1

St. Louis brethren, I will be speaking at Noble Lodge No. 684 next Tuesday, December 1st. This will be the very first meeting of the lodge in its new home at Moolah Shrine. Dinner is at 6:00PM, and the stated meeting begins at 7:00PM. Contact Secretary Charlie Wiegert at charlie @ fanball.com

Paris Museum of Freemasonry to Open in February

In spite of its recent fire, the Grand Orient of France will open its newly refurbished museum on February 10, 2010 in Paris at its 16 rue Cadet headquarters. Helped by a grant from the Ministry of Culture, Region Ile de France and the City of Paris, the new facility will not be strictly dedicated to the Grand Orient, but will simply be called the Museum of Freemasonry.

See a virtual tour here.

(Beret tip to Blog Maconique)

Ft. Wayne, Indiana Temple Has A Plan For the Future

The Freemasons of Ft. Wayne, Indiana made the news today, showing off painting and renovations to the beautiful downtown Temple building.

See FW Masonic Temple has plan to stay open.

3,000 Visit Salt Lake City Masonic Temple Open House

Utah's Past Grand Master Glen Cook in Salt Lake City news program about their Temple's open house last week. They had 3,000 people turn out for the open house.

Nicely edited piece by local CBS channel 2. (Go get a cup of coffee. It's slow-loading.)

First report referenced in the piece is here.

Incoming Grand Master of India: Women and Co-Masonry In A Decade?

Balaram Biswakumar will be installed this Saturday, November 21st, as the new Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of India AF&AM.

From today's Times of India:

In Dan Brown's latest thriller The Lost Symbol', Freemason Mal'akh gazes down the human skull cradled in his palms and looks into the crimson wine before drinking it in long deep, swallows to the last drop. After the installation of Dr B Biswakumar as the grandmaster of Freemasons India on Saturday in Chennai, there will be wine, but champagne flutes will replace human skulls.

If Brown has rekindled curiosity about the age-old secret society' of Freemasons often associated with occult and witchcraft, the latest grandmaster of the fraternity in India is all set to demolish the shields of what he calls non-existent secrecy. For the first time, the installation ceremony will be open to people an invited few other than Freemasons. This, he says in an interview with TOI in his modest clinic in Madaveli, is part of an ongoing trend to slowly open up the fraternity steeped in furtiveness in popular imagination. More radical changes in the all-male community could be in the offing, as he says women Freemasonry and co-Freemasonry could be a reality in a decade.

More about the new Grand Master here.The Hindu Times.

Deciphering The Lost Symbol

Coming December 2009

Freemasonry and the founding of the United States have been intertwined since the very beginning. Now discover the secretive brotherhood of Freemasons at the center of Dan Brown’s novel, The Lost Symbol. Follow fictional symbologist Robert Langdon’s factual trail through the streets and monuments of Washington D.C., and into the innermost lodge rooms and temples of the Masons.

Best-selling author of Solomon’s Builders and Freemasons For Dummies Christopher Hodapp has created the definitive guide to the symbols, legends, and mysteries of The Lost Symbol. Take an insider’s trip to uncover the true stories behind the Freemasons and the nation’s capital, and interpret the clues and claims of Brown’s book.

· Discover the meaning of “The Lost Word”

· Decode Masonic and alchemical symbolism

· Explore the innermost rooms of Washington D.C.’s Masonic temples

· Visit the restricted areas of the U.S. Capitol and other landmarks

· Uncover the myths in the maps and monuments of the nation’s capital

· Crack the codes buried in The Lost Symbol’s artwork and puzzles

· Examine how noetic science may change the way we perceive life, existence and the universe

From Masonic presidents, secret codes, and esoteric rituals, to curious cornerstones, monuments, and symbols, Deciphering The Lost Symbol is the only key you need to unlock the secrets and the truth behind Dan Brown’s fiction.

Preorder now from Amazon.com

ISBN: 978-1569757739
Ulysses Press
Paperback, 208 pages,
November 2009
US $12.95 by Christopher L. Hodapp

Rosslyn Chapel Soon To Be Unwrapped

For more than a decade, visitors to Scotland's Rosslyn Chapel have been disappointed to discover the building swathed in scaffolding and covered by a sheet metal roof. The image of the chapel on a hillside seen in the movie version of The Da Vinci Code was a cunning computer-generated special effect, a shot impossible to achieve since the 1990s. The culprit was a 1950s asphalt roof that had been designed to protect the building, but in reality leaked like a colander, eventually covering interior walls and ceilings with green alge.

The steel cover has at last done its job of drying out the porous stone building, so the second phase of the project can now begin: a new roof that doesn't leak, and the cleaning and restoration of its interior details. Helping the bank account has been the rise from 40,000 annual visitors before the Dan Brown effect, to 175,000 at the height of Da Vinci Code fever.

A new visitor's center is being constructed, and the entire project is expected to cost £13 million. The chapel will remain open to visitors while the work progresses.

See an article in todays The Scotsman.

The Rosslyn Chapel Trust must still raise over £1 million, and is seeking donations. Donors may sponsor a star carving in the chapel's roof for £250.

Prometheus Lodge No. 851 Chartered in San Francisco

Congratulations to the brethren of Prometheus Lodge No. 851, the newest lodge to be chartered in California. Prometheus is a Traditional Observance Lodge, and its charter Master is Dennis Chornenky, known to many Masons from his work with the Masonic Restoration Foundation.

The lodge meets once a month at the University Club on Nob Hill in San Francisco, across from the Fairmont Hotel, and marks the return of a regularly meeting lodge to the area.

The new lodge's formation made the San Francisco Business Times:

Dennis Chornenky, who is Master of the new lodge, said the downtown area hasn’t had a lodge for about 50 years. The nearest lodges in the city are in the Mission and in the Outer Sunset area.

Half a century ago, San Francisco had 45 lodges, Chornenky said. Today, there are eight lodges listed in the city on the web site of the Grand Lodge of California, with three in Oakland, one in Alameda, and others in Mill Valley, Larkspur, South San Francisco, Daly City, Pacifica, Richmond and Orinda.

Many of the new lodge’s members, including Chornenky himself, are in their 20s, and he said this reflects a resurgent interest in Freemasonry among young men.

[snip]

It took two years of work to get the lodge officially chartered, Chornenky said, starting with the formation of the “Prometheus Club” in the summer of 2007, followed by a probationary period called “dispensation.” Monday night’s ceremony, led by Ken Nagel, Grand Master of Masons in California, gives the new lodge its official charter and allows it to send members as delegates to vote on state issues.

CNN: Inside The Freemasons

CNN rehashed its Lost Symbol week footage with new interviews featuring the Masonic Service Association of North America's Dick Fletcher and Revolutionary Brotherhood author Steven Bullock. The disgusting metaphor notwithstanding, have a look "Inside The Freemasons."

Lodge Carpets

Brother Loyd Caldwell, PM and Secretary of Dalton Lodge in Dalton, Georgia has for several years offered a unique visual aid for the "Winding Staircase Lecture" that appears in most US Fellow Craft rituals (Pennsylvania brethren will be asking "What winding staircase lecture?"). It is a 6' x 9' custom carpet with the proper visual cues for each step.

I haven't seen one in person, but the photo looks absolutely beautiful.

Check their website at www.masonicstairwayrug.com

Which brings up another question. Is there a US or Canadian manufacturer of lodge carpets, with a checkered floor, a blazing star and tessellated border? The English companies have beautiful carpets, but the exchange rate and shipping makes them too expensive for most of to comfortably suggest to our lodges.

When Technology Fails

Thanks so very much to Comcast for trashing my phone and internet service for two days. They couldn't have picked a worse 48 hour period. You know, I was just facing deadlines with chapter reviews requiring massive files batted back and forth on two projects between two publishers. Nothing trivial. Nothing like sitting in the Hilton parking lot with the laptop at 5AM, upload files, download the next batch. Then back home to work, then back to the Hilton.

The third Comcast tech finally admitted the whole section of town is down because of a fiber optic "upgrade issue."

On the good side, I have taken delivery of a case of Arran Robert Burns scotch.

Sgt. Kimberly Munley, Former Rainbow Girl

(I am taking the liberty of quoting this entire post from Neil Neddermeyer's e-mail newsletter, Cinosam that just arrived today. Sign up for Neil's informative postings by visiting the Cinosam website here.)

Former Rainbow girl Kimberly Munley is being hailed as a hero for bringing down the Fort Hood shooter while taking three bullets herself, and her former partner isn't a bit surprised. Shaun Appler, who worked with her years ago in North Carolina, says that he began calling her "Mighty Mouse" after she leaped through the air to free him from an assailant choking him and trying to grab his gun.

"She saved my life that night," Appler says. "When I found out the female officer at Fort Hood was Kim, I wasn't surprised. Kim not only has the training, I know she was mentally prepared to know what to do when you get into that situation." He spoke to her by phone yesterday. "She is in good spirits, although she is obviously saddled with the loss of life that occurred there."

All of us were horrified by the terrorist attack at Ft. Hood last week. We were equally thankful for the heroic actions taken by the civilian policewoman who ended the attack by shooting the terrorist and bringing him down.

Officer Kimberly Barbour Munley was a member of North Carolina Wilmington Assembly 29, now Goldenrod Assembly 29, where she served as Worthy Advisor, and also as the North Carolina Rainbow Grand Musician. She was also a member of the Grand Cross of Color.

I know that each of you join me in praying for the family of Mrs. Munley as she recovers from her injuries, and for all of the families of Ft. Hood.

Kay Letterman, Supreme Inspector in North Carolina, said, "We are very proud of the courage that this young lady displayed to save so many lives.

Sgt. Munley has had two surgeries, but she has survived a shot in the hand and two in her thighs, and without her brave actions, the Ft. Hood shootings would have been far worse. An update on her condition appeared in an article by Samuel Goldsmith in todays New York Daily News.

Today Is Veteran's Day

'Thank you' is not enough.

Grand Secretary of Indiana, Max Carpenter, To Retire

The Grand Lodge of Indiana has officially announced the retirement of longtime Grand Secretary Max L. Carpenter, PGM, effective January 1, 2010. Max has served as Grand Secretary in Indiana for 17 years, and was president of the Conference of Grand Secretaries in 2008-09.

In honor of Max's many years of service, there will be an informal reception for brethren, guests, and the general public immediately following Founders Day, Saturday, January 16th, 2010, in the Grand Ballroom at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Indianapolis.

Grand Master Charles F. Marlowe has appointed MWBro. Richard J. Elman, PGM, to fill Max's position until Grand Lodge in May 2010. Rick served as Grand Master in 2004-2005.

Robert Lomas, Elias Ashmole and the World's Oldest Museum

"Hiram Key" author Brother Robert Lomas is featured in an article in Saturday's Yorkshire Evening Post. In the article it is revealed that Dan Brown has admitted his character of Robert Langdon is partially based on Lomas, even if he hasn't ever jumped out of a helicopter in a tweed jacket.

Despite his ongoing "Hiram Key/Solomon Key/Templar key" series of books, I have to say my favorite of his books is Freemasonry and the Birth of Modern Science, which he admitted to me a couple of years ago was his personal favorite, as well. It discusses the formation of the Royal Society and the roles played by Robert Moray and Elias Ashmole. Freemasons in the U.S. have rarely heard of Morey, and usually only know the name of Ashmole because he is erroneously thought to be the first known speculative Freemason initiated in 1646. Moray's initiation was in Newcastle on May 20th, 1641.

Ashmole's accomplishments were far greater than simply being initiated into a lodge. He eventually went to Oxford and in 1660, he started acquiring a collection that became what is regarded today as the world's oldest museum, known simply enough as the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archeology.


This week the Ashmoliean Museum reopened after a major renovation and construction of a new wing. Read about it here:

Stories from the Ashmolean Museum

The reopening of The Ashmolean, review

The reopening of the Ashmolean: infinite riches in a larger room

Jack Straw Rescinds England's Anti-Masonic Judiciary Rule

Well, it's about bloody time.

England's former Home Secretary, Jack Straw, announced today that he is rescinding a rule he introduced in 1997 requiring judges in the U.K. to declare their membership in Freemasonry. Not in a stamp collecting circle, or a rugby club, or the Manchester and Sheffield Anarchist Federation, or an al-Qaeda sleeper cell, or a country club. Just the Freemasons.

Why was this again, exactly?

There was an investigation twelve years ago that made headlines, purporting to expose the dark and secret role Freemasonry was playing in law enforcement and the judiciary. The nebulous accusation was that Britain's plods were letting Masonic buddies get away with crimes, and that criminals only needed to stroll into court and make "Masonic gestures," and their brother judges would be required by our blood-soaked Masonic oaths to drop all charges and send them skipping on their Masonic way.

Anti-Masonic author Martin Short was out in front, tub-thumping over the issue, convinced the Masons had somehow caused a brain tumor to grow in the head of fellow anti-Masonic writer, Stephen Knight. To this day, Short is the BBC's go-to guy on Masonic stories. When a report on Freemasonry gets ready to air something kind about the fraternity, the Beeb rings up Short for his "on the other hand" take on it, you know, in the interest of "balance." Interestingly, they don't bring in a Holocaust denier when running Auschwitz stories for the sake of balance and compelling reporting. But I digress.

There was just one problem back in 1997. After spending months of investigative effort and a stack of the taxpayers' cash on an investigation, Jack Straw found precisely zero evidence there was any widespread Masonic influence in the courts or police stations. But that was okay, it was simply the accusation that was serious enough to warrant a new rule requiring Masons in these powerful positions to disclose their private membership in a perfectly legal organization for which there was no evidence of any impropriety.

Straw is a Member of Parliament for Blackburn, and currently is the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice these days under Gordon Brown. The onrushing elections may finally portend the end of the Labor Party's long reign. But what motivated Straw to rescinding the rule was the threat of a lawsuit by the United Grand Lodge of England. Citing a recent decision in a European Union Court of Human Rights anti-discimination case involving similar rules against Masons in Italy, Straw announced today that he'd had a change of heart.

From an article in The Guardian, Straw was quoted as saying,

"The review of the policy operating since 1998 has shown no evidence of impropriety or malpractice within the judiciary as a result of a judge being a freemason and in my judgment, therefore, it would be disproportionate to continue the collection or retention of this information."

According to the Ministry of Justice, there are 3,808 judges in England and Wales and 5.4% of them (205) are masons. There are also 29,702 magistrates, of whom 6.4% (1,900) are masons.

The government introduced the declaration rule after it was recommended by the Commons home affairs committee in a report published in March 1997. The committee said that "nothing so much undermines public confidence in public institutions as the knowledge that some public servants are members of a secret society one of whose aims is mutual self-advancement". At the time Straw said Labour supported the recommendation.

But, in his statement today, Straw stressed that the 1997 report "made no finding of impropriety in the conduct of the judiciary arising from membership of individual members of the judiciary of the freemasons".

He also said the existing safeguards, such as the oath, the availability of a complaints procedure and the independent appointments commission, were enough to support "the proper performance of judicial functions".

Note this only affects judges. The Home Office still has a rule in place which requires potential police officers and anyone working for the probation or prison service to declare whether they are Freemasons. Hopefully, this one will fall, as well.

Read Jack Straw scraps rule saying judges must declare if they are masons and Freemasons shake off ruling on judiciary.

"Is Dan Brown a Freemason?"

I am almost finished with the manuscript to Deciphering The Lost Symbol, which was due to the publisher Monday.

My apologies to Masonic Society members for the tardiness of the Autumn Journal, and especially to everyone who has sent an email or called who believes I am purposely ignoring them. The way the schedule goes, I sleep for five hours, get up, type, pass out for two hours, wake up, type some more, and pass out. That's just the way it goes at the end of a project around here. Alice shovels up the Diet Dr. Pepper cans around my desk when I can't see over them anymore.

Recently on several Masonic forums I have seen the question asked, "Is Dan Brown a Freemason?"

In a September 15th, 2009 Associated Press article, Freemasons await Dan Brown novel 'The Lost Symbol' by Hillel Italie, it was stated:

Brown is not a Mason, but said that working on the novel helped him imagine a time when religious prejudice would disappear and added that he found the Masonic philosophy a "beautiful blueprint for human spirituality."

He was tempted to join, but, "If you join the Masons you take a vow of secrecy. I could not have written this book if I were a Mason," he says.

And now?

"They've let me know the door is always open."

Some have suggested that Brown be made a "Mason at sight," which is a rare, and in most jurisdictions illegal, way for a grand master to take a man and make him a Freemason without the required waiting periods, investigations, or even voting on his membership. It has happened, but not often.

Dan Brown is a shy man who has more fame than he knows what to do with. He does not like attention, and actually lives a very private and almost reclusive life.

Unless I see an announcement from the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire that Brown has been made a Freemason "at sight" (not "on sight" or "on site"), I will continue to believe that, if he has any interest at all, it is far more likely that he will quietly petition a lodge in or near Essex, New Hampshire and go through the degrees the way he is supposed to. And if he eventually does join, I suspect, given his personal habits, he would ask any lodge he petitions, and the grand lodge, to not make him into a public poster child. Just a hunch.

In any case, I believe the effect on the fraternity in the long run because of the publicity (note, I do not say quality) of the book will be enormous, over a long period of time. If 50 million people read his book over the next five or six years, and just 1% are good men who become motivated to join the fraternity, that's a half million new Masons who might never have given us a second glance. He pulled off more than any grand lodge could ever dream of doing. All Brown has done is given us the opportunity to not disappoint these men when they come knocking. What they find when we let them in is totally up to us.

In the meantime, perhaps we should see if he decides that we are worth joining and live up to his expectations before we go commissioning a painting of his apotheosis.

Masonic Society Semi-Annual Meeting Saturday

Welcome to brethren coming to Indianapolis from out of town. Wish we could do something about the rain. And the FFA convention.

The Board is meeting Friday night, so we're unfortunately out of the socializing loop for the evening.

In addition, the competition for dinner tables will be tough downtown, as there are 55,000 Future Farmers of America in town for the week. I have made a reservation for 12 people at a very uniquely Indianapolis restaurant, the Rathskeller, at 7PM, in case you are interested. It is in the name of The Masonic Society, and it is upstairs in the "Director's Room." Jeff Kaplan is heading up the group and will meet there at 7.

Here's the website: http://www.rathskeller.com/

It is a German restaurant, but with a very wide menu, a huge beer list as you can imagine, in a wonderful old building, and located at 401 E. Michigan St. (3 minutes by car, or about a 12 minute walk from the Hilton Garden Hotel.) There is room for more than 12, if you are so inclined.

If the Board finishes early, I'll come up and at least have a largish beverage.

Here are a few other options within walking distance of the Hilton Garden Hotel.

Dunaway's Palazzo Ossigeno
Morton's Steak House
St. Elmo's Steakhouse (Very expensive, very crowded, very loud, but a city institution)
Fogo De Chao - a Brazilian steak house that is very unique
Ruth's Chris
Harry & Izzy's
PF Chang's
Buca di Beppo
Jillian's (similar to a Dave & Buster's)
MacNiven's (Scottish)

---

Saturday Program

9:00 AM Call to Order ..... Colin Peterson
Co-Chairman, Indiana Second Circle Committee
Invocation

Welcome and Introductions .......................Roger S. VanGorden
President of The Masonic Society

Keynote Address .................. Charles F. Marlowe
Grand Master of Masons in Indiana

The Gentleman Mason...................... Jeffrey D. Naylor

Notes on Teaching the Craft: The Millennials’ View of American Freemasonry ..... José Díaz

Reviving a Failing Lodge ................................ Chris Hodapp

12:00 Noon Luncheon in the 2nd Floor dining room, Indiana Freemasons’ Hall

1:00 PM Tours of Indiana Freemasons’ Hall and the Indianapolis Scottish Rite Cathedral

2:00 PM Reconvene

The George Washington Masonic Memorial and
Electronic Records for Researchers............. Mark Tabbert

All Masonry is Local ................................Roger VanGorden
Working the Plan: Lodge Models and Model Lodges ........ George Haynes

The “Dan Brown Effect” .................................... Chris Hodapp

Closing Remarks ...................................Roger S. VanGorden

6:30 PM Banquet in the 2nd Floor dining room, Indiana Freemasons’ Hall

Benediction

"Hunting The Lost Symbol" Sunday 10/25

"Explore the fact in the fiction surrounding some of Washington, DC's most famous symbols, images, and legends."

So reads the description of the Discovery Channel's new program, "Hunting The Lost Symbol," this coming Sunday night, October 25th at 8PM, and again at 11PM (EST). The 2-hour show features Mark Tabbert, Brent Morris, Dr. Bob Hieronimus, Mark Koltko-Rivera, me, and Alice Von Kannon (my wife and co-author of Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies, and The Templar Code For Dummies), and many more.

DP Clay Harrison traveled to Indianapolis the day after Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol was released to interview Alice and me in Indiana Freemason Hall. (Alice is in the Knights Templar Asylum, home of Raper Commandery No. 1, and I am in the Egyptian-themed Red Cross Room, meeting place of Imhotep Council No. 434 Allied Masonic Degrees.)

I pass along my usual disclaimer: I have not seen the program, a script, or even a rough edit, so I will be as surprised as the rest of you on the 25th.

The program repeats November 1st at 4PM. And then, undoubtedly, ad infinitum.

Quoted In Code

Wow.

This is a first.

I am quoted in code. Specifically, a number substitution cryptogram.



04.22.19.19.21.11.13.05.20.22.09 15.19.11.06.12.19.13 24.19.13.13.05.20.13 05.04 13.05.06.08.11.24 11.20.18 21.05.22.11.24 23.08.22.15.16.19.13 26.11.13.19.18 05.20 13.09.21.26.05.24.08.13.21 05.04 15.12.19 15.05.05.24.13 11.20.18 24.11.20.14.16.11.14.19 05.04 15.12.19 11.20.06.08.19.20.15 26.16.08.24.18.08.20.14 15.22.11.18.19, 16.13.08.20.14 15.12.19 26.16.08.24.18.08.20.14 05.04 11 13.15.22.16.06.15.16.22.19 11.13 11 13.09.21.26.05.24 04.05.22 15.12.19 26.16.08.24.18.08.20.14 05.04 06.12.11.22.11.06.15.19.22 08.20 21.19.20. 21.11.13.05.20.13 11.22.19 05.26.24.08.14.19.18 15.05 17.22.11.06.15.08.06.19 26.22.05.15.12.19.22.24.09 24.05.23.19, 21.16.15.16.11.24 11.13.13.08.13.15.11.20.06.19, 19.07.16.11.24.08.15.09, 13.19.06.22.19.06.09, 11.20.18 15.22.16.13.15 26.19.15.25.19.19.20 19.11.06.12 05.15.12.19.22.

(Need a hint? Go here.)

This is from the upcoming book, Cracking Codes and Cryptograms For Dummies, by Denise Sutherland and Brother Mark Koltko-Rivera.

With over 300 different puzzles of varying skill levels from the simplest substitution puzzles to fiendishly difficult ciphers Cracking Codes & Cryptograms For Dummies provides an introduction to the use and function of codes and cryptograms in the world of secret societies and their connections to conspiracy theories.

The book is unique in that there are three conspiracy stories, set in the times of the American Revolutionary War, American Civil War, and the present day, which are encrypted through the book - to uncover the stories you need to crack the ciphers!

The types of puzzles include:

• Cryptograms with letter substitutions, number substitutions (A=1, B=2, etc.), and symbol substitutions (A=♦, B=☼, etc.).
• Caesar Ciphers—also called Shift Ciphers where there is a shift of number of letters in the alphabet
• Masonic Ciphers—a collection of real symbols and ciphers used by Masons for hundreds of years, including the substitution cipher exchanging letters for symbols based on a grid design (also known as the Pigpen Cipher).
• Rail Fence Ciphers—in this type of transposition cipher a message is written along a zig-zag path, across two to five lines (or rails), and then broken into sets of letters
• Caesar Box Ciphers—messages are written down the columns of a grid, and transcribed by row by row.
• Keyboard Ciphers—using cellphones and computer keyboards to create ciphers.
• Twisted Path Ciphers—the message is written into a grid, along a winding path, and then transcribed row by row.

Anagrams and Wordplay

• Anagrams—rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase.
• Cryptic Clues—learn some tricks from the world of cryptic crosswords, and solve these anagram, hidden word, and double definition clues
• Double level Ciphers—by solving one cryptogram you get a keyword, which then allows you to crack the encryption on a different kind of puzzle.

I was honored to be asked to write the foreword, but Denise and Mark have done a fantastic job creating a very fun book that will drive you crazy. Due in stores any day now.

Brotherhood of the Briar

"A pipe is the fountain of contemplation, the source of pleasure, the companion of the wise; and the man who smokes, thinks like a philosopher and acts like a Samaritan."

-Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton

For those of you who have long admired the art of the pipe, but didn't know where to start when it comes to partaking of the joys of the leaf and briar, The Art of Manliness website features a Pipe Smoking Primer, written by Jason Mills.

The 1979 Surgeon General's Report on Smoking and Health (Table 7, Section 13, page 17, or page 637 in pdf form) shows that, in one study (H. A. Kahn), pipe smokers of 1-4 bowls a day actually have a lower mortality rate than non-smokers. Table 8 of a second study (E.C. Hammond), shows pipe smokers who smoke more than 9 bowls a day, again, had a lower mortality rate than non-smokers.

That's because a pipe keeps us calm and free from hysterics.

"The pipe draws wisdom from the lips of the philosopher, and shuts up the mouth of the foolish; it generates a style of conversation, contemplative, thoughtful, benevolent, and unaffected..."

-William Makepeace Thackeray, from The Social Pipe

Salt Lake City Masons, Mormons In News

Brethren in Salt Lake City were discussed in a lengthy article in Friday's Salt Lake Tribune. Have a look here.

Also, Brother Mark Koltko-Rivera, himself a Mormon, discusses Brown's few references to Mormonism in The Lost Symbol in a separate article, Mormons off the hook in Brown's book.

However, one of Brown's major themes -- that human beings have the potential to be gods -- echoes Mormon teachings.

"That should resonate with Latter-day Saints," says Mark Koltko-Rivera of New York City, a Mormon high priest and Master Mason. "I know this is our doctrine that causes the most trouble with other Christian churches. But it is a central belief that we should be more open about and celebrate."

It would have made fictional sense for Brown, who visited several Utah LDS and Masonic sites in 2006, to create a Mormon character as his anti-Masonic foil. After all, antagonism between the two groups goes back a long way and often was contentious, even violent.

In the 1840s, many LDS leaders, including church founder Joseph Smith and apostles Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, became Masons and organized a Nauvoo Lodge under the auspices of the Grand Lodge of Illinois. It wasn't long before nearly every male Mormon in the area had joined.

At the same time, Smith introduced LDS temple rituals that included secret handshakes, signs and symbols like the all-seeing eye, the compass and square (tools of the mason's trade) along with the sun, moon and stars that paralleled Masonry.
Soon, other Masons felt that the Mormons were dominating the fraternity. The Nauvoo Lodge was suspended in 1842. Many Mormons believed that Masons contributed to the murder of their prophet June 27, 1844. Smith reportedly began to utter the Masonic distress call, "O Lord, my God, is there no help for the widow's son?" as he fell to his death from a second-story window after being shot by a mob.

In 1859, a Masonic lodge was established by Johnston's Army at Utah's Camp Floyd, but it didn't accept Mormon candidates. At the same time, Young forbade Mormons from joining and refused to allow any Mason to hold priesthood leadership positions in the church.

It wasn't until 1984 that LDS President Spencer W. Kimball removed the prohibition against Latter-day Saints becoming Freemasons. Later that year, the Grand Lodge of Utah discontinued its own ban on Mormon membership so that, in the ensuing years, many LDS men have returned to this part of their heritage. In 2006, Glen Cook became the first Mormon to serve as the state's Grand Master.

Some people suggest that Smith copied Masonic rituals for his LDS temple, but Koltko-Rivera thinks that's too simplistic. Instead, he says, it was just the trigger for Smith's divine inquiries.

"Masonry prepared Smith for a vision of the Latter-day Saint endowment," Koltko-Rivera says. "The two ceremonies are complementary. Both are fascinating but in very, very different ways."

MSA's Dick Fletcher on Discovery News

The Masonic Service Association's Richard Fletcher on Discovery News today.

Last Call: Masonic Society Semi-Annual Meeting in Indianapolis 10/24

The Masonic Society
Semi-Annual Meeting, Indianapolis
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Starts 9 AM Eastern Time and concludes after the Banquet
Indiana Freemasons' Hall, 525 N. Illinois St., Indianapolis, Indiana

Theme and Program

"Rededicating the Craft"

Program includes:

• Charles Marlowe, Grand Master of Indiana - Keynote Address
• Chris Hodapp – discussion of the “Dan Brown Effect”
• Jeffrey Naylor – The Gentleman Mason
• Mark Tabbert – The George Washington Masonic Memorial and electronic records for researchers
• Roger VanGorden – All Masonry is Local
• Jose Diaz – Notes on teaching the Craft: The Millennials’ view of American Freemasonry
• George Haynes – Working the Plan: Lodge Models and Model Lodges
• Chris Hodapp – Reviving a failing lodge

Plus, tours of the 100-year-old Indiana Freemasons’ Hall and the Indianapolis Scottish Rite Cathedral, the largest of its kind in the world.

Event Registration: $65, includes luncheon and banquet. Both members of the Society and non-members are welcome to register and attend. Be sure to invite the brethren of your lodge! Your Lady or Other Guest may attend the conference and banquet for an additional $65 per person.

To make reservations, see the official Semi-Annual meeting webpage.

Please make reservations by October 17th! Do it right now, while you're thinking about it!

See you in Indianapolis!

Not a member of the Masonic Society yet? To join online, visit our website here.

Freemasonry and Lost Symbol Upcoming Media Watch

Tomorrow evening, Friday October 16th, Dateline: NBC will air "Secrets of The Lost Symbol," with an exclusive interview of Dan Brown, shot in the Supreme Council Room of The House of the Temple in Washington DC. I understand Brent Morris and Art DeHoyos were also interviewed for the show (I had a long, fun conversation with the producer the day Brown's book was released, as we both read it simultaneously. If ever there was a time to be a Freemason living in Washington, this last month was it). The show airs at 9PM EST.

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"Explore the fact in the fiction surrounding some of Washington, DC's most famous symbols, images, and legends." That's the description of the Discovery Channel's new program, "Hunting The Lost Symbol," which was to premiere this coming Saturday, but has been bumped back to Sunday, October 25th at 8PM and again at 11PM (EST). The 2-hour show features all of your favorite regulars, Mark Tabbert, Brent Morris, Dr. Bob Hieronimus, Koltko-Rivera, me, and Alice VonKannon (my wife and co-author of Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies, and The Templar Code For Dummies). Plus many more.

I have been in the film business for a long time, so I will simply pass along my usual disclaimer: I have not seen the program, a script, or even a rough edit, so I will be as surprised as the rest of you on the 25th.

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While visiting Annapolis last week, I was contacted to be interviewed by the Italian language Swiss TV network (they also have French and German language stations as part of their group). It just happened that it was while the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction was in session.

Here's the story.

Yes, I know, it's in Italian.

Yes, I know, they misspelled my name.

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I was standing on the steps of the House of the Temple with the Swiss TV crew. As we stood there, several Masonic brothers, literally from all over the world, poured out of the door, and we all greeted each other warmly as they headed for their cars to go to meetings. Meanwhile, Masons visiting from out of town wandered up to take pictures and tour the building. One came over to have me sign his book and say what a profound effect Masonry had on his life.

Just at that moment, a car sped by on 16th Street, horn blaring, as the driver screamed out the window, “Freaks! Racists! Masons should die!”

Just to make sure we all got the message, he went around the block and did it again.

Thanks To Annapolis Lodge No. 89

My visit to Annapolis Lodge: LtoR: Richard Harrod, JS; WBro. Bruce Lanier, WM; Chris Hodapp;

Leamsi Collazo, SS; Ellis Tinsley, Tyler. (Photo from Richard Harrod)

My belated thanks to the brethren of Annapolis Lodge No. 89 in the beautiful town of Annapolis, Maryland, for their warm welcome and incredible hospitality earlier this month. I had a fantastic time and cannot praise the brethren of this lodge enough. WBro. Bruce Lanier and his officers have much to be proud of. It was a great opportunity to be invited to speak to this lodge, and I thank everyone who came out.

Thanks also for the opportunity to spend a little time at the Annapolitan Club. It was a fun way to cap off the evening.

Brother Harrod arranged for accommodations at the wonderful Governor Calvert Inn. My only regret was that I didn't bring Alice and several more days of leisure time with me. Annapolis is a unique place. We'll be back.

Freemasonry Under the Nazis

The United States Holocaust Museum has a detailed article on its website about the treatment of Freemasons under the Nazi regime.

When the Nazis came to power, policy towards the Freemasons was equivocal. Efforts to eliminate the Freemason did not receive top priority. Those lodges that espoused tolerance and equality and had international connections or connections through their leaders to the Social Democrats or liberal democrats were subject to persecution and often pressured into “voluntary” dissolution. A few conservative German lodges that were willing to accommodate themselves to the regime were able to continue some form of existence for only a little longer. Nevertheless, the regime intended to exclude those who refused to give up their Masonic connections.

In early 1934, the chief of the Nazi Party Court System ruled that Masons who did not leave their lodges prior to January 30, 1933, could not join the Nazi party. That same month, Prussian Minister of the Interior Hermann Goering issued a decree calling upon the lodges to “voluntarily” dissolve, but requiring such voluntary actions to be submitted to him for approval. In addition, lodges and their branches in various cities throughout Germany were exposed to arbitrary violence from local SS and SA units, though this terror does not appear to have been centrally directed.

Increasing pressure in the public and professional sectors forced individuals to choose between remaining in their lodges or limiting their career opportunities. Many former lodge members holding positions in the civil service were forced or harassed into retirement. In May 1934, the Ministry of Defense banned membership in lodges to all personnel -- soldiers and civilian employees. During the summer of 1934, after Heinrich Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich completed their takeover and centralization of the Gestapo, the German police forcibly closed down many Masonic lodges and branch headquarters of the Masons and confiscated their assets, including their libraries and archives.

On October 28, 1934, Reich Minister of the Interior Wilhelm Frick issued a decree defining the lodges as “hostile to the state” and hence subject to having their assets confiscated. Finally, on August 17, 1935, citing the authority of the Reichstag Fire Decree, Frick ordered all remaining lodges and branches dissolved and their assets confiscated.

Read the rest of the story here.

(Photo: A reconstruction of a Masonic lodge from the Isle of Jersey, on display in an anti-Masonic exhibition in Nuremberg. Germany, 1938.)

Masonic Pyramid?

The Lost Symbol prominently features a small, portable sculpture of a pyramid as a plot device, which Dan Brown repeatedly refers to as a "Masonic pyramid." So, just about the time I sat down to write that Freemasons generally don't have pyramids in their lodges and their symbolism, I run across Lafite's Photostream collection taken inside of the Grand Orient of France's Paris temple (that sadly suffered major fire damage last week). These shots were taken more than two years ago, and it's a shame to know these lodge rooms have been seriously damaged. But lo! and behold, there sits a pyramid on what I presume to be the treasurer's desk (No, Mssr. Lafite would not grant me permission to post the photo here).

The Grand Orient is not recognized as regular by the majority of Masonic jurisdictions in the world, but if there is a GO Mason out there who could explain the significance of this pyramid sculpture in their lodge room, I'd love to hear it. It is possible it's nothing more than an elaborate alms box.

These writing projects are NOT going to get done if this poodle is going to insist on sitting here.

Levant Preceptory on Canadian TV

(Photo by John Bridegroom)
The Knights Templar of Levant Preceptory donned our chainmaille and helmets ten days ago for a documentary crew from Halifax, Nova Scotia. We performed our public program that depicts the Friday, October 13th arrests of the French Templars in 1307, and were appropriately shot in the Tyler's Room of the very Gothic Scottish Rite Cathedral in Indianapolis. The program, being made for Canadian television, will hopefully air next year on the National Geographic Channel. Helm tip to Brother Stephen Dafoe for putting the producers in touch with us, and to Sir Knight Jim Dillman for his tireless efforts.